Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Sticking it out in changing times - Peter Dowling reports

Oratia Media was back for our fourth successive year at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which concluded on the weekend.

There were way fewer publishers on the New Zealand collective stand than during our Guest of Honour year in 2012, but for the 14 of us who came back, the benefits of that programme were tangible. We had a big open stand in a good location, well put together by the Publishers Association of New Zealand team, and I really felt able to build on last year’s profile. 

Our section on the New Zealand collective stand in Hall 8

Among my 50 or so meetings were a good number with German publishers, kicking off with a rousing session of beer and pretzels on the Tuesday evening at the BuchMarkt magazine stand. (See Herr Mayer’s column - http://www.buchmarkt.de/content/56406-der-messe-mayer-tag-1-von-6.htm) Relations with our German counterparts have never been healthier.

The unofficial opening party for the fair with German book trade magazine BuchMarkt

Overall visitor numbers at the fair were down some -2% on 2012, to just over 275,000, however. These are times of change and challenge for the global publishing industry, with big challenges in some of our key overseas markets like Italy.

That notwithstanding, the tone of our meetings was mostly positive, especially with US and Canadian publishers, who have already been through a lot of the digital changes that are now reshaping book markets in the rest of the world. There was good interest in our children’s and Māori authors.

Saturday brought a landmark for us, signing a two-year distribution agreement for Libro International books in North America with Virginia-based International Publishers Marketing. We’re looking forward to working with Jane Graf and her team from April 2014.

Libro International books on display

I had a good few meetings with publishers from this year’s Guest of Honour, Brazil, starting with the wonderful Gisela Zincone of Gryphus Editora – we’ve agreed that our 2014 translation of Gryphus’ children’s classic Branquinho o Dognauta will be entitled Snowy the Doganaut. Some lovely illustrated kids’ books are coming out of Brazil.

There wasn’t quite the buzz expected around Brazil, due in part to their stand’s location deep in Hall 5.1, and also the boycott by major authors including Paulo Coelho. No doubting, though, that this is a growing market and one we’re going to continue to develop.

Brazil was this year’s guest of honour at Frankfurt

The New Zealand party on Friday evening was a hit as usual – see Claudia Heydolph’s report on her New Zealand in Germany site and Facebook:

http://nzdeutschland.info/neuseeland-in-frankfurt-2013/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=437421519695624&set=a.260640327373745.48268.260596830711428&type=3&theater

And as the public flooded in on the Saturday and Sunday, it was time to beat a weary retreat for a last few drinks at the Frankfurter Hof – leaving the Messe to the colourfully attired German cosplay teens. Auf wiedersehn till 2014!

Come the weekend and the cosplay kids were out in force around the fair

Peter Dowling manages independent publisher Oratia Media (www.oratiamedia.com) and is publisher of its books programme, Libro International (www.librointernational.com) 

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird star in Whitcoulls Top 50

I Need a New Bum ranks 18th in the top 50 children's books sold at Whitcoulls

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/books/news/article.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=11128575

Libro International buys rights to Brazilian children’s classic

English edition of Branquinho, O Dognauta to be published in 2014. 

Libro International will publish the first English edition of Branquinho, O Dognauta, a classic of Brazilian children’s literature, in mid-2014.

Independent publisher Gryphus Editora of Rio de Janeiro agreed the rights deal this August with Oratia Media, the publisher of Libro International books.

Diego d’Alberqueque’s story tells of an amazing white dog who comes to Earth in a flying saucer. This alien canine has ears where he should have eyes, and eyes in the back of his head – but he wins the love of a young boy. Here the adventure begins …

First published in 1982, Branquinho, O Dognauta has remained in print and sold tens of thousands of copies in Brazil. Gryphus publisher Gisela Zincone issued the sixth edition in 2011, with illustrations by Felipe Vellozo.

“Diego wrote this book when he was eight,” Zincone said. “Almost 30 years after, the book remains fresh and contemporary. It tells a beautiful story about accepting differences while it makes us think about the impact of science and technology in our lives.”

The book will be on the New Zealand stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair from 9–13 October.

“Last year New Zealand was country of honour at Frankfurt, this year’s it’s Brazil’s turn,” commented Peter Dowling of Oratia Media.“We’ll use this platform to promote Branquinho and develop more projects between New Zealand and Brazilian authors and publishers.”

Dowling, who speaks Brazilian Portuguese, will oversee the translation – with the confirmed English title to be revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Branquinho, O Dognauta           

Diego D’Albuquerque, illustrated by Felipe Vellozo; translated by Peter Dowling

ISBN: 978-1-877514-62-3                  NZ$16.99 / 200 x 200 mm/ PB / 24 pp / colour

For further information, contact:

Isabell Zitzelsberger  022 156 7470   isabell@oratiamedia.com

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com   |    www.oratiamedia.com

WAKA TAUA OUT NOW

Waka Taua: The Maori War Canoe

Jeff Evans

A Māori war canoe being paddled a full speed is an awesome sight. Thanks to the renaissance in canoe building, more and more traditional waka taua are on the waterways, and feature in major events like the Queen’s Jubilee.

Waka Taua is a well-established introduction to all aspects of the war canoe: its history, recent revival, types and variants, phase of building, parts of the waka, crew responsibilities and paddling techniques. With numerous historical and contemporary photographs and drawings, this easy-to-read book is the perfect reference for these amazing craft.

This valuable book is now back in print and available from Libro International.

Praise for the first edition of Waka Taua:

‘What a valuable and timely book, there being something of a rebirth in canoe building at present’

– Northern Advocate

‘It is Evans’ passion for his subject that makes this book special’ – Weekend Herald

The author: Jeff Evans is a well-known writer and photographer, who is an authority on Maori canoes. Jeff is also the author of Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand, Nga Waka o Nehera: The first voyaging canoes and Maori Weapons in Pre-European New Zealand, and editor of Elsdon Best’s Notes on the Art of War. Jeff lives in Te Atatu, Auckland with his family.

ISBN: 978-1-877514-40-1   | RRP $34.99

Paperback, 250 x 185 mm, 76 pages with illustrations

Te Ara exhibition opens in Vancouver

Oratia launches new trilingual book featuring Musqueam alongside Māori and English

The exhibition Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership, opens today in Vancouver, Canada, in the final stage of its world tour before returning to New Zealand in February 2014.

Featuring photographs by Krzysztof Pfeiffer taken over a five-year period, and curated by Paul Tapsell and Merata Kawharu, Te Ara is a visual survey of leadership in the Māori world – past, present and future. It premiered in Poland in 2010 and has since shown at major museums in the UK and Germany.

The exhibition is being hosted by the Musqueam Indian Band, the First Peoples of the Vancouver area, and is showing at the Musqueam Gallery in the British Columbian capital.

Accompanying the opening was the launch of the third edition of the exhibition book. Te Ara features photographs from the exhibition with extended text by Paul Tapsell reviewing

leadership and challenges for Māori today.

The book is believed to be the first featuring both Canadian and New Zealand indigenous languages, with a landmark Musqueam translation – one of very few texts in the language – alongside Te Reo Māori and English. Copies are available in Canada and New Zealand.

"Our conversation is indigenous to indigenous with the Musqueam, but it is a story to which everyone is invited to come along and listen in," said Tapsell, who is visiting Vancouver.           

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership will be at the Musqueam Gallery, 4000 Musqueam Avenue, Vancouver, until 28 February 2014.

Professor Paul Tapsell and Associate Professor Merata Kawharu teach in the Māori Studies department at the University of Otago, Dunedin; Krzysztof Pfeiffer is an internationally recognised photographer based in Auckland who has contributed to more than 35 books.

Read more in the Vancouver Sun

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership

Release Date: 9 August 2013  |  ISBN: 978-1-877514-60-9  |  RRP $21.99

Paperback, 210 x 297 mm landscape, 32 pages, colour

To arrange an interview, images, extracts or a review copy, contact:

Peter Dowling  027 614 8993   peter@oratiamedia.com

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com   |    www.oratiamedia.com

Māori Maps shortlisted for World Summit Awards

Te Potiki National Trust has welcomed its nomination as a finalist in the World Summit Awards for the Māori Maps website, www.maorimaps.com.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams yesterday congratulated Te Potiki National Trust and the seven other New Zealand organisations that have made the finals in the global World Summit Awards for creativity and innovation in ICT.

“It is great to see New Zealand projects of this calibre being recognised on the world stage. It is particularly important that we celebrate and encourage the high level of innovation and creativity that we have in this country,” Ms Adams said.

Te Potiki National Trust Chairperson Paora Tapsell said this recognition was reward for the hard work of its largely voluntary team.

Over the past five years, Māori Maps has created a digital database of marae locations, photographs and information to assist Māori descendants, as well as visitors, in connecting with the more than 750 ancestral marae in New Zealand.

“This unexpected honour will help to promote our message about how unique our marae are in the world, and how important they are for the identity and well-being of present and future generations of Māori.”

He thanked the Trust’s volunteers and supporters for their faith in the project.

Key backing for Māori Maps has come from The Tindall Foundation, the University of Otago, the University of Auckland, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, and several community trusts.

The www.maorimaps.com website, based on Google Maps, lets users navigate by a range of filters to locate marae – and now lists about 98% of the ancestral marae around the country.

The site is designed and hosted by Auckland-based Zest Media, and managed by the Trust’s Online Producer, Mike Hennessy.

Te Potiki National Trust is now adding archival photos and taonga links to the site, and working to complete translation of all content into Te Reo Māori. 

For further information, contact:

 Peter Dowling, Kaihautu; 09 814 8993, pita@maorimaps.com

Note: Oratia Media, publisher of Libro International books, is a supporter of Te Potiki National Trust and Peter acts as its kaihautu/chief executive. 

Favourite Māori Legends: book review by Gordon Crombie for the the Book Show on Radio Southland 96.4FM

Favourite Māori LegendsISBN: 978-1-877514-56-2

Like me you may have grown up listening to stories read from storybooks by your parents. Before books there were storytellers. Many cultures had storytellers; amongst them the Maori. Stories, or myths and legends, played an important role in passing on knowledge from one generation to the next. They were also a form of entertainment which has survived through the ages and across cultures.

Libro International has published a new edition of Favourite Maori Legends, a much-loved edition of legends published in 1965 by that great collector of stories and language, A.W. Reed. Favourite Maori Legends has a RRP of $29.99 which represents exceptional value for a classic collection of over 30 of the most memorable Maori legends.

Favourite Maori Legends has been updated in this new edition of A.W Reed’s 1965 classic. It is almost 50 years on since the original edition and Ross Calman has revised the legends for the more discerning modern reader. Ross is a highly respected author and editor and is justifiably proud of this new edition of a New Zealand classic, “I worked hard to preserve the flow of the original narratives, while modernising the stories and reinstating some of the Maori language from the original sources.”

Favourite Maori Legends is a soft cover. I’ve never made my mind up as to my preference – hard cover versus soft cover. But this is a beautiful edition, a book that should grace every bookcase in New Zealand. It would also make a great gift for those countless thousands of kiwis who now live overseas. The illustrations by Roger Hart are stunning, simple black and white drawings that evoke the times the legends date from. But it is the stories themselves that will draw you into this book. Some of them will be familiar; some may be new to you. But they all take me back to nights spent in the lounge listening to my parents as they read from the well-worn pages of my favourite storybooks. Reading these legends I can well imagine family gatherings huddled around a fire as a storyteller retold the legends of their people.

The stories are grouped together in 5 sections – legends of the spirit world, ghosts, taniwha, supernatural creatures, and heroes and deeds of daring. A feature of the book is the glossary, not an extensive course in te reo but an explanation of many of the words that feature in the legends. Not that you will require a knowledge of te reo to enjoy the stories, the stories paint such vivid pictures that you will be carried along with them.

 

Ross Calman

I enjoyed the foreword from the original 1965 edition. A.W. Reed concludes his foreword with the following paragraph.

The legends were famous in their day. Over the years they have to a large extent been forgotten, but they should not be lost to the present and future people of Aotearoa. As we become more conscious of the contribution that Maori culture should make to our common heritage, we believe that they will again become favourite legends.

Surely as relevant today as it was when it was written nearly 50 years ago.

Favourite Maori Legends by A.W. Reed is revised by Ross Calman in this edition published by Libro International. Favourite Maori Legends has a RRP of $29.99 and is available in all good bookstores now.

Gordon Crombie for the book show on Radio Southland 96.4FM leaving you with these words from Ross Calman.

Beyond entertainment, storytelling was an important means of transmitting history, whakapapa and other knowledge. Early missionaries were staggered at the ability of Maori to memorise and retain information, which was due to this oral tradition.

I hope you can accompany me in enjoying the stories within this volume and the window they give on to the traditional Maori world.

Tim Tipene inducted into Hall of Fame

Tim Tipene has been inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Tim is the founder of the renowned Warrior Kids programme and Master Arts classes, and is an award-winning author.

Tim, 41, became a student of martial arts at the age of 12. In 1994 he set up his own school, now called Master Arts, and began a holistic life-skills programme based on the arts for children called Warrior Kids. Tim has gone on to provide Warrior Kids to communities and schools for 18 years, changing the lives of thousands of children and their families.

Tim feels honoured to be acknowledged by the martial arts community for what he regards as his art of peace. Master Arts is a form of non-violent self protection and intervention, focusing on de-escalation and the containment of aggressive behaviour. ‘Master Arts is winning against an opponent without drawing the sword. In other words winning without the use of violence and winning without causing defeat,’ says Tim.

Warrior Kids is a Master Arts programme for children aged between 5 and 13 and follows the same message. 'If you teach a child to hit then they will hit. If you hit you get into trouble at school, you get into trouble with the law, people get hurt and you get negative consequences. That is a fact,’ comments Tim.

Warrior Kids gives children alternatives to violence, and builds up their awareness and confidence. 'The children are certainly taught self protection, but they are not taught strikes or throws, or to use pain or power over tactics.'

Tim is not sure if what he does could easily be classed as martial arts any more. 'I called it Master Arts because it is really about mastering the self,’ he comments. ‘Master Arts is the ultimate in anger management because through the training you remould the anger and the responses to anger physically and mentally. Students are taught safe and constructive ways to address problems. Master Arts is about safe homes and safe communities.'

The New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame, (NZMAHOF), was established in 1995 with the aim of providing leadership in martial arts at the very highest level. The NZMAHOF Awards are held every two years to honor those Martial Artists who have contributed, served and cultivated martial arts in New Zealand in an outstanding manner. Tim will attend a ceremony in November where he will receive his award.

Tim is also the award-winning author of a number of books for children and young adults, including a manual about his Warrior Kids programme.

For more information visit www.timtipene.com or phone 021 525 450 or 09 833 9408. 

Haere ra, Ray

Farewell today to Ray Richards, with the funeral at Devonport naval base for the legendary publisher, literary agent and World War II fighter pilot. Family, friends and colleagues remembered a man who gave much to publishing, writers and his many friends through an extraordinary life. 

Ray was a generous mentor and astute agent right to the end; we worked with him to publish the new Ross Calman edition of A.W. Reed's Favourite Māori Legends only last week - this was a title Ray had published first back in 1965! 

For more about Ray's contribution to NZ publishing, refer to Gavin McLean's history of Reed Publishing, Whare Raupo (Reed, 2007), and click through to Graeme Beattie's blog.

I Need a New Bum - Still in the Top 10

Great to see I Need a New Bum still sitting in the Top 10 New Zealand children and teen's books eight months after its release. Sales are now over 12,000 copies and growing - testament to the storytelling wizadry of Dawn McMillan, illustrating powers of Ross Kinnaird, editing prowess of Carolyn Lagahetau and design flair of Cheryl Smith. 

http://www.booksellers.co.nz/book-news/nzs-bestsellers/nielsen-weekly-bestsellers-list-week-ending-1-june-2013

Favourite Māori Legends

Favourite Māori Legends

A.W. Reed, revised by Ross Calman

Māori myths and legends have an important role in transmitting and regenerating traditional knowledge. Yet with the depletion of local publishing in New Zealand, fewer and fewer of these stories are made available to new generations.

Libro International is therefore proud to be bringing back into print a new edition of Favourite Māori Legends, a much-loved edition of legends published in 1965 by that great collector of stories and language, A.W. Reed.

Leading editor and writer Ross Calman has revised the legends for a modern readership, with updated use of te reo.

“I worked hard to preserve the flow of the original narratives, while modernising the stories and reinstating some of the Māori language from the original sources,” he said.

“These stories are all highly accessible and offer unique insights into traditional Māori society.”

The book preserves the timeless illustrations of artist Roger Hart, which bring key scenes from these ancestral stories to life.

Favourite Māori Legends groups 30 of the most memorable legends into themes of the spirit world, patupaiarehe (ghosts), taniwha, supernatural creatures, and heroes and deeds of daring.

The authors: A.W. Reed (1908–1979) was one of New Zealand’s most influential writers and publishers, noted for his works on Māori language and mythology. Ross Calman (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa, Kāi Tahu) is a widely published author and editor, who lives in Wellington.

Release Date:  27 June 2013  | ISBN: 978-1-877514-56-2   | RRP $29.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm, 160 pages with illustrations

To arrange an interview, images, extracts or a review copy, contact:

Isabell Zitzelsberger  022 156 7470   isabell@oratiamedia.com

Marketing Specialist

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com   |    www.oratiamedia.com

Tattoo Aotearoa at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival

Chris Hoult and Steve Forbes, authors of New Zealand Tattoo, delivered a well-attended presentation yesterday in the Auckland Art Gallery auditorium as part of the annual Writers and Readers Festival. In the Tattoo Aotearoa the pair displayed a host of photos from their travels around the tattoo parlours of New Zealand, including many as yet unpublished images, while backgrounding the book and profiling five of the artists featured. Steve also gave a brief history of tattooing in New Zealand, charting its progression from the margins of society to a mainstream art form today. 

Chris Hoult with the MC for the day, Anna Hodge

Steve Forbes (left) and Chris Hoult

Steve and Chris answering questions from the audience

New Zealand Tattoo at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival

 TATTOO AOTEAROA: CHRIS HOULT & STEVE FORBES

AUCKLAND WRITERS & READERS FESTIVAL

SATURDAY MAY 18 – 1.15-2.15PM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

TICKETS $20 UNTIL 15 MAY /  $25 FROM 15 MAY; STUDENTS $12.50  WWW.BUYTICKETS.CO.NZ

In New Zealand Tattoo, photographer Chris Hoult and writer Steve Forbes document some of New Zealand's leading tattooists, learning about their history, their craft and their community.  Through photography they unfold the story of tattooing, identifying major styles and traditions - ta moko, tatau and tattoo - that have shaped the artform in Aotearoa. Supported byAuckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

 

And you can link to it online at: http://www.writersfestival.co.nz/Home/Programme/EventDetail/tabid/57/id/406/Default.aspx

International orders possible through Lightning Source

International customers can order a growing number of Libro International books through print-on-demand supplier Lightning Source. Orders can be placed at www.lightningsource.com and supplied from its printing facilities in Milton Keynes, UK or Melbourne, Australia. 

The print-on-demand technology is ideal for black & white, paperback books. 

Titles currently available through www.lightningsource.com:

Titles currently available through www.lightningsource.com:

Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand - Jeff Evans (ISBN 978-1-877514-15-9)

Nga Waka o Nehera: The first voyaging canoes - Jeff Evans (978-1-877514-04-3)

From Silence to Voice: The rise of Maori literature - Paola della Valle (978-1-877514-11-1) 

Bullies & Warriors - Tim Tipene (978-1-877514-14-2)

Warrior Kids Returns

After a year's break, youth work and award-winning author Tim Tipene is back teaching his Warrior Kids and Master Arts classes.

Tim has set up a customised studio for his classes alongside his home in Ranui, West Auckland.

A 5th Dan Black Belt with a graduate certificate in child and adolescent mental health, Tim started his Warrior Kids programme in 1994.

The martial-arts based programme, which teaches children resilience and self-control, has become a fixture in schools and communities for over 18 years, reaching thousands of children. The Master Arts classes teach teenagers and adults the finer aspects of martial arts in the pursuit of self-mastery.

“I’m delighted to be back offering classes from our new studio, and look forward to enriching the lives of children, teenagers and adults through Warrior Kids and Master Arts,” Tim said.

Tim is also an award-winning author; his ninth book, the young adult novel Patu, was released last November by local publisher Oratia Media and has gained a strong response in New Zealand and overseas.

Tim Tipene runs weekly Warrior Kids and Master Arts Classes in West Auckland. For more information visit www.warriorkids.org or

phone (09) 8339408 or 021 525450.

New Zealand Tattoo in Hamilton

The International Tattoo & Art Expo will take place in Hamilton at Claudelands Event Centre this coming weekend, 23-24 February, with over 120 exhibitors showing their body art and taking commissions for work. Our book New Zealand Tattoo: In the home of the tattooist's art will be there as well, on sale at the booth of artist Steve Maddock from Underground Arts - and photographer Chris Hoult will be there to sign the book and take photos on Sunday 24 February.

For more on the expo, click here

Libro in Tokyo

This bookstore in the Shiodome City Center in Tokyo's Shimbashi district caught my eye during our recent stay in Japan. It's good to see that Libro means book even in Japan!

Peter